Branches of Life
by Olgakk
Summary: But he fought his heart again, the heart he had killed and the heart that she had brought back to life. Modern-fic, One shot.


**Hey guys, how are you? **

**I've been working on this one-shot for some time now, it's been in my head for a few months now and I finally had some time to sit down and work with it. Before you start reading I want to make ONE thing clear, this one-shot sort of jumps into random moments in Jaime and Brienne's lives that aren't in chronological order so don't get confused, it's just different moments at different stages of their relationship!**

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Jaime met Brienne in High School, sophomore year. Naturally, the teenage boy was curious about the towering, masculine, blue-eyed new girl just like the rest of his classmates. But Jaime kept his distance unlike everyone else who pounced on her, making jokes in her expense, watched them as they got satisfaction from making her crumble little by little every day.

Her pained blue eyes shattered Jaime's long dead heart and so he kept his distance.

In the year that followed they formed a secret friendship solely build on mutual respect.

At first Brienne had been incredibly guarded, thinking it was another trap similar to Hyle Hunt's. He had asked her what he could do to convince her that he's not like them even though he's their "friend".

"Tell no one" was her simple request.

He had smiled and called her a "silly wench" but respected her only wish.

So nobody knew about their friendship, in school, they would put up a great act of strongly disliking each other, sending heated glares at each other's directions, arguing during class discussions; it was all really convincing to the unintelligent imbeciles they had to face every day.

If anyone would look for a moment longer they would see the witty smiles they exchanged after each argument or the blush on Brienne's cheeks every time Jaime would wink at her after an insult.

After school they would train together at some random gym Brienne went to just so she wouldn't have to run into someone she knows.

"Next time, don't wear your coat to the gym." He mocks her and shoves her lightly.

"Next time, try taking your head out of your ass." She responds with a grimace but a soft gaze.

"You love me,"

"Um . . ."

Senior year hadn't been as smooth of a ride.

They had found out about Jaime and Brienne's friendship and confronted them about it at lunch which ended up with Ronnet Connington on the floor with a bloody nose after his 100th attempt of making a crude joke towards her.

It was in that moment that Brienne decided to distance herself from Jaime, in her mind she was doing it for the best but not even she could deny how much it hurt.

It was difficult being separated from him all of the sudden, she could see it affected him as much as she did her but she chose to ignore it.

Jaime's heart felt like it was in a constant vice, never beating carefree the way it did when he was with her.

In a crowd full of people his eyes searched for hers, he wanted to be in her company again equally as much as he wanted to take his next breath.

But he fought his heart again, the heart he had killed and the heart that she had brought back to life.

And so that was how it was.

No more sitting together, no more playful shoves, no more friendship, no more Brienne.

She was trying so hard to simply live her life without him but he was everywhere, and him showing up at her house, drunk, after graduation definitely didn't help.

Brienne just headed home after the graduation ceremony, she knew there was a party at some rich popular kid's house but naturally she had not been invited.

At 2 a.m. she could hear a familiar voice screaming out her name and there was a pounding on her front door.

She raced downstairs and stopped her father from answering the door.

"Let me handle this?" She wanted it to be a statement but it came out more like a question, her father's eyes were wary.

He knew who it was and he didn't trust Jaime, not in the least.

"I'll be fine." She reassures her dad and he simply hugs her and heads back to his bedroom.

When she finally opens the door -after a few moments of taking deep breaths- he stumbles and falls on her, it's situations like these that make her extremely thankful for her height and strength.

He doesn't seem to be upset about being on her for he wraps his arms and begins mumbling things in a drunken slur. The only words she could make out were "miss" "sex" "you" and "Brienne"

She led him up the stairs and into her room, he fell into her bed as if he is at his own house.

"Stay put, I'm going to bring you some coffee." She tells him and tries to keep her voice emotionless but it's really challenging when her entire body is on fire at the sight of him on her bed.

He mutters something in response.

She takes much longer making his coffee than what is necessary. Her entire brain is focused on the fact that Jaime is upstairs, laying in her bed after six months of not saying a word to each other.

When she finally finishes the coffee and heads back to her room she is surprised to find him wide awake, part of her was hoping he would fall asleep in his drunken state so she wouldn't have to deal with him until the morning.

She hands him the coffee and sits on the edge of the bed while he drinks it quietly.

"I miss you." It just comes out of his mouth, he can't stop it and she doesn't know how to react to it.

She glances at the floor, chooses to remain silent.

"Won't you say anything?" His voice is more steady now, his words more clear.

"I've got nothing to say." She shrugs her eyes still on the floor.

Her heart raced, she wasn't ready for this confrontation.

"I'll talk then." He announces, she glances at him "Cause I have a lot to say….I know you've heard about Cersei and I and all my family drama…."

She nods him on.

"It's all really fucked up." He shakes his head and leans on the headboard, he looks exhausted "I should have ….told you, explained it to you….hearing it from someone else probably didn't help…..I'm sorry. You just—you make it better"

His words confuse her, she doesn't know what he means and she doesn't know what to say back but she knows she can't stand to watch him like this.

She's in shock when she sees a tear slip from the corner of his eye and that's when it really hits her, how much he's been put through in the last couple of months, she finally understands how much her behavior change towards him truly affected him.

Before she realizes she crawls towards him and wraps her arms around his neck pulling him in the comfort of her arms.

They didn't hug a lot, in fact Brienne can recall only one time they actually did hug -which was on her birthday -this is so unlike them.

"I'm sorry." Is all she says and she knows he forgives her when his arms around her tighten.

The last thing she remembers from that night is his voice in her ear

"Stay….always."

First year of college had been a social shock; it was definitely challenging, having to get adjusted to a new environment and living with a complete stranger.

But Brienne and Sansa got along very well, she introduced her and Jaime to her group of friends and before she knew it they had all formed a great bond.

Although Brienne was having a difficult time dealing with her friends teasing her about Jaime, Margaery and Sansa insisted that the two of them were secret lovers or something silly along those lines.

In her mind it sounded absurd.

In Jaime's mind not so much, ever since that night after graduation he has been sure of having feelings towards her he just wanted to get a chance to explore them… to explore her.

So he would try to discreetly make his attraction obvious, his arm seemed to always find a way around her waist, for a second her body would shift towards him before she would force herself to pull away from him.

He'd grin.

She'd glare.

Brienne closed her eyes as the sunlight pierced her blue orbs, she laid back on the sand and lifted her arm up to the sunlight, shifting her hand so the light would drift through her fingers much like a stream of water would do in a creek.

A larger, masculine, scarred hand joined hers.

She turned her gaze to get a look at him, he lays next to her on his own beach towel, shirtless.

"Hey," is his charming greeting.

"Hey," is her original response.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" He asks and she knows he's concerned just because he knows her so well and knows her insecurities.

She shrugs "I mean, I would have a lot more fun cuddling with a blanket and watching an adventure movie with a good plot"

He laughs.

"Brienne you're so…_you"_

"Is that an insult?" She asks and shifts so she can get a better look at his face; he is wearing a comical expression.

"Nah," he says and laughs once again "I like you."

She blushes and looks away for a moment.

"I don't think I've ever thanked you, Jaime." She tells him and the atmosphere turns very serious all of the sudden.

"What do _you_have to thank _me_for?" He snorts and rolls his eyes

"For being my friend, when no one else would." She explains silencing him "I was pretty silly back then, forcing you to keep it all a secret…guess I was just trying to protect your reputation."

"Even back then you were selfless…" He says more to himself than her

"Oh come on-"

Before she could finish her sentence his hands wrapped around her face, he rested his forehead on hers. She couldn't pull away but she didn't dare move closer either.

Her soft lip was hovering in the space left between his own, not kissing, just there.

Then she breathed his name and his restraints broke, he closed his lips around hers.

Her gasp made every muscle in his body tighten and every masculine instinct he's ever had to thrive. Her bottom lip was soft and full. So inexperienced compared to his own tainted lips

They both waited for reality to come crashing back but it never did, and then it was heaven on Earth.

It had been years since he's kissed a girl, his last kiss was Cersei and it had never been like this…so soft, so honest.

She kissed him back, wrapping her fingers in his hair and sighed soft and sweet and delicate in his mouth, her kissing was so new, so innocent, so unlike anything he's ever experienced before.

Brienne's hands scrambled through his hair and he held her tighter. He tried his best to be soft he didn't want to scare her, she wanted to act all big and tough but he knew that this must be nerve wracking for her.

Her lips, her sounds, her body begged him to be everything but soft, he was at battle with himself.

So he just gave in, to the sweet innocence that was Brienne.

Jaime and Brienne moved in together in the summer after their second year of college, from the little money they got from their jobs all they could afford was a tiny flat barely meant for two people.

It was harder for Jaime to adjust this time because all of his life he's lived in a luxurious mansion and since the Cersei situation he hasn't had any contact with his family, he denied any amount of money his father tried to transfer into his bank account, he wanted no contact with them.

She wanted to help him but she knew this was something he had to do on his own.

Besides, she had her own private dilemmas to deal with.

Her heart was falling for him but her brain was telling her it was too soon, she was torn.

All her life she's followed her brain, letting it guide her through all of the troubles in her life, hadn't gotten her very far, had it?

Perhaps it was time to listen to her heart.

She returned from work to find Jaime flopped on their sofa watching some movie she wasn't familiar with looking bored out of his mind.

"Hey," she said and smiled when he perked up just at the sound of her voice.

"Hey!" he stood up from the couch and shuffled towards her wrapping an arm around her neck and embracing her tightly.

She felt him breathe her in and they stayed in that position for a while.

Something was wrong.

"What is it, Jaime?" She whispered pulling her head back as much as he allowed her which was only far enough for their foreheads to touch and noses to brush.

"He called" Jaime grunted holding his breath "My father."

She remained quiet for a few moments, unable to find words to comfort him.

"I-I-Are you okay?" is all she could stutter out.

He nodded, his forehead rubbing against hers.

"Don't lie." She tells him, her voice sterner.

"I'll be fine." He reassures her, moving his arms from her neck to her waist "I just need some Brienne time."

She smiles and he does too.

He kisses her and she responds, something is different this time. This kiss is full of raw passion and fire something that's never been there before

His hands tighten on her waist and one trails over her arse giving it a tight squeeze before wrapping around the back of her thigh.

His other hand joins on the back of her leg and suddenly he's lifting her, her feminine instinct is to wrap her legs around his waist and so she does.

Brienne has got to admit she has always been impressed with his ability to pick her up, there's not a lot of people that can do that.

He carries them to their bedroom and Brienne instantly knows where this is heading and a fire begins to lick up her body.

His tongue strokes her and she moans, he groans.

She starts lifting his shirt and when it's finally off her fingers stroke from his abandonment to his chest over and over again until he's shivering.

Soon enough she's shirtless and braless and she gasps when his mouth goes for her nipple, she thrusts her fingers into his hair and grips on for dear life.

She lets him linger on her breasts for longer than usual, keeping herself at bay.

_This is for Jaime_she told herself.

His mouth reaches for hers again, coming back home and her hands immediately trail to the zipper of his jeans pulling it down and undoing the button.

She pulled his pants as far down as her arms could reach and then let him kick them off.

Her legs opened up for him and he fit perfectly between her thighs, they both hissed at the contact of his hard cock against her moist center.

His hand trailed down her body in a journey they were both very familiar with, it reached its destination and finally went into her panties, he slipped a finger inside her.

She moaned and he grunted at the feel of her wetness, she shifts to let him know its okay to move.

After a few tantalizing strokes of his fingers he removes them and takes his boxers off, before she could reach for her own underwear he has them ripped and thrown to the side.

He teases her for a few minutes, only putting the head in and taking it out he laughed when she growled at him.

Finally, he slowly pushes into her and they both moan loudly when he's buried to the hilt.

He leans in, forehead on hers and brings his forearms on both sides of her head before he slowly pulls out groaning and pushing pack in.

She moans loudly her mouth falling open, one of her arms wraps around his neck just holding him there while the other one reaches down to where their bodies are meeting and begins rubbing herself right above from where his cock was sliding in and out making sure to brush her fingers against it.

Jaime moaned into her mouth, his tongue slipping inside her mouth meeting hers.

They climaxed together and she swore she heard him utter something that sounded a lot like

"I love you."

Tears streamed down Brienne's face as Jaime pounded on the locked door of their flat begging her to let him, to let him explain.

The heartache was taking over her brain she wasn't even sure what he was saying anymore.

She leaned against the door and slid down slumping on the floor, a sobbing mess.

"Brienne, _please"_He shouted in a desperate voice hitting on the door louder, using his fists most likely "It's not like what it seems, I swear! Please just let me explain!"

"Explain what!? Huh!?" She screams at him, her voice trembling "You went to _her_because of a simple fight! You went to her that easily!"

Her entire form shook from her sobs and she heard a loud thud outside, sounded a lot like a punch against a wall.

"Brienne, I don't want her," His voice tired now; emotionally exhausted "I want you."

"You think I'm going to believe that?" She growls angrily wiping at her tears "You _dare_think I'm going to believe that, after what I saw?"

She turned her body so she was know sitting on her knees facing the door, crying once again

"You manipulated me! Made me think you loved me! I hat—"she couldn't finish the sentence, her voice broke down and she punched the door wishing it was his face instead

"Don't." he whispered, she could barely hear him now "Don't you say that to me, not after everything. I do love you, I love you _so_much. The only reason I went to her was to tell her I didn't want her anymore, to her face."

She sobbed openly now, letting him hear it all.

"D—don't cry." He tells her his voice furious "Don't cry about this, don't fucking cry with this door between us"

She ignores him and she just cries, she doesn't know for how long she is slumped against the door sobbing but she knows that he's gone silent and a part of her thinks he left her.

"Are you still there?" She asks in a trembling voice when she has run out of tears to shed.

"I'm always here."

It was a magnificent spring evening and they were sitting in Venice, Italy enjoying two glasses of some fine wine.

He naturally drinked a lot more than her; Brienne wasn't a big fan of alcohol.

They finally both had gotten great jobs after college graduations and they were able to afford a vacation to Italy and a new house.

"This is beautiful, Jaime." She whispers watching the sunset, completely taken by the beauty of this place.

"Yes it is." He responds and he's awestruck as he watched the beautiful view himself.

"We've been through a lot to get to here, haven't we?" He randomly says and she glances at him to see that he is in a faraway place, his eyes lost.

"Yes we have," she breathes needing to take a sip of wine when thinking about _everything_that's happened between them "But we're here now."

"Together."

"Together" She agrees.

"Marry me?"

"Yes."

"You look lovely" is the first think he says to her when she's finally reached him at the end of the aisle

"I look like a bloody hot mess." She grunts back at him, red with embarrassment.

"Hey," he whispers comfortingly as the priest begins the ceremony.

"It doesn't matter what they think," he tells her fiercely "It never has before and it never will, in my eyes, today, you are lovely."

Her blue eyes meet his and it's all she needs, she can't hear anything the priest is saying, can't see anything but Jaime, she only knows when to speak when Jaime says

"I do."

And she says "I do."

And in that moment they are bound in the holiest way known to man

Brienne slumps down on the grass besides the two blonde, teal-eyed, twin, toddlers she instantly smiles at them and Galladon reaches her first.

"Mommy, mommy!" Before he can finish what he wants to say his brother, Alexander, has jumped on her as well, screeching equally as loud.

She remembers holding them both with ease like it was yesterday now they're strong enough to almost knock her over with their fierce love.

They start mumbling together and she can't understand much except "Daddy" "Mommy" "you" "no come"

"One at a time, boys" She scolds them softly "I can't understand you when you're both speaking at the same time."

"Mommy, you didn't come get us from school today" Alexander takes the chance to speak first but is soon interrupted by his much more frustrated brother

"Yeah! Daddy got us and we _missed_you!" he wines, pouting his lip and crossing his arms.

She can't take their cuteness and soon enough she wraps them both in her arms flowering their little faces with kisses.

"I love you, my boys," she tells them softy and they giggle happily, telling her they love her back "Now go play, and I'll be watching you from over here."

They run as fast as their short, chubby, legs allow them and Brienne has a smile plastered on her face as she pushes her now much longer blonde hair out of her face and behind her ear a warm hand covers hers and helps her tuck her hair away.

_Jaime._

"Wench" he says in a soft, loving, greeting wrapping arms around her waist and shifting her body so her back rested on his chest.

"Hi," she says back to him tilting her head back and letting him kiss her, he lingers a moment longer and bites her lip.

She gives him a look that says _later_he nods.

"How was your day without me?" he mocks her, even after all these years…

"Oh you know, the usual, I slept with my boss" she says on purpose knowing how much it bothers him and she laughs when he growls

"My wench"

"Whatever you say," she wants to focus fully on him but like any other mother her first instinct is for her eyes to follow every movement her sons make.

"Be careful by the lake boys!" She calls out when they walk too close to the lake than what she's comfortable with.

Jaime from behind them tells them to get back from there, using his "Alpha-voice" or that's what he called it, whatever type of voice it was, it worked on the boys.

She sagged against him in relief when they were far from the water once again.

"Have I thanked you for my sons today?" He whispers in her ear placing a kiss in her hair, she grinned; this was Brienne's absolutely favorite thing to hear daily.

"No, I don't think you have." She raises an eyebrow demandingly

"Well, in that case" he places a kiss on her lips and rests his forehead against hers closing his eyes "Thank you for my sons."

She smiles, Jaime's favorite smile, the one that reaches her sapphire eyes.

"You're welcome." She says and he's about to kiss her again when the boys interrupt, jumping on them.

"Attack! Attack!" they scream loudly and both Jaime and Brienne chuckle while wrapping them in their arms.

The boys start arguing about something; Jaime and Brienne look at each other.

Neither of them had an ideal family, far from it in fact but somehow they managed to create two of the most beautiful and gentle boys whom are loved fiercely every day of their lives.

"I love you, wench."

"Hm…I guess I love you too, then."

_Fin._

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So that's it guys! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this :)


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